Saturday, December 18, 2010

Etsy

What it is: Since the holiday season is upon us, it's always great to know of places to buy unique gifts. With little ones, shopping out in the retail world can be a bit tricky (as evidenced by our most recent outing with a double stroller in Southern Season). So, online shopping has quickly become one of my favorite things. Etsy is one of my favorite online sites. It's an online marketplace with countless different crafters selling homemade and vintage items only.

If you have a craft business yourself, it can be a great place to get the word out and easily sell your items. In addition, you can purchase countless different types of items. There's even a feature called Alchemy where you can advertise for what you are looking for, name your price, and people will bid to create your specialized item for you. I have purchased several items on Etsy, and I haven't been disappointed yet. I've also known several people who have sold items on Etsy and been very successful including a member of my family who sells beautiful dog collars (www.dabbyanddoodledesign.etsy.com).

What we like: As I said earlier, with kids, it can be hard to get out and shop with young kids especially if you're looking for a unique item and you don't know exactly what you want. Toddlers never seem to have the patience to browse. So, with Etsy you can browse at countless unique items. In addition, it is also a great place to sell your own crafts and items.

What we would change: Since it is online, you can't actually see the product in person or try it on. In addition, there are many different sellers, so quality and personal interactions can vary.

*sweettoothstationery and captureyourmemory-We bought two different types of personalized address labels

*tinderdesigns-We bought a great shopping cart cover

I'm sure there are many other great sellers on Etsy, and we would love to know if any of our fabulous readers sell any items there. Please tell us about your items if you do! In addition, we'd love to hear about any other local crafty moms so we can get the word out and find out about all the great, talented moms in the area!

3 comments:

Thanks for this article on Etsy and for inviting people who sell there to share their shops with your readers. I sell handmade jewelry on Etsy, and it's always gratifying to hear that people find the website a good way to find unique and beautiful handmade and vintage items.

I have a wonderful friend who sells jewelry on Etsy. She has really beautiful things, but my favorite are her necklaces with charms for your kids names. I have circles for my kids that I can add to (we aren't done yet), but I am giving one as a gift that is 3 tirangles stacked, but you can see the names of the kids along the bottom. She is FABULOUS to work with and a sweet girl. Check her out: www.benedetto.etsy.com

I LOVE Etsy! I get all of my jewelry off there and lots of other fun things for my little one. I would highly recommend checking the blog Swell Swag (not my blog, I just like it a lot) that does Etsy artist giveaways and can introduce you to a lot of great sellers: http://swellswag.blogspot.com.